


Dteach Aréir

by Nelly-Belly (Nelleri)



Series: Cáerme [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Witcher AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2015-11-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 09:04:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5158049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nelleri/pseuds/Nelly-Belly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>The Tavern</b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dteach Aréir

**Author's Note:**

> So, fun note... most of the elder speech I've been coming up with for this series is a mixture of the actual elder speech and various Celtic words. If you'd like to hear how I think the language would sound, copy and paste a phrase from here and throw it into google translate and say that it's Polish and listen to it. I think it sounds really pretty :s
> 
> I try to make it pretty clear, either by italicizing the translation or by context, what the elder speech is actually saying. If it isn't clear let me know and I'll throw in the translations for everything... it is a made up language after all.
> 
> SUPER IMPORTANT!  
> The ballad that Armin sings in this part was commissioned for me by a friend of mine who is a thousand times more talented than I! [His fictionpress,](https://www.fictionpress.com/~octoshroom) where he will be posting 100% original content, if you're interested. [And here's his tumblr!](http://octoshroom.tumblr.com/)

As they finally arrived at their destined tavern, Eren thought back over the past handful of days.  After they had left the pup with his mother, they had rode Eastward down the side of the Flagsdale mountains and into the large and boisterous district of Trost within Rose of the Reiss kingdom.

In the beginning it was a difficult adjustment. No more noisy little pup to fill the silences with whines and growls for one thing or another, no more comforting weight on the witcher’s shoulder as he rode forward. But with time came the peace of closure. They were both fully aware when they began their journey together in search of the mother dragon that they would have to someday part with the pup. And while the separation was still painful, they both knew it was for the best. All they could do was to continue with their eyes on the road before them, and so they did.

It had taken them five days to descend down the mountainside and cross through Rose to reach the tavern that Eren was so familiar with. Anywhere that was in the Reiss kingdom, Eren felt he could call home, but the Pony Boy Tavern was one of his favorite drinking holes. It was here that Eren and his dearest friend Armin had first met many years ago.

He had been drinking heavily that night, enough for even his resistances to allow for a warm buzzing in his body. He’d walked outside and shuffled towards some trees to relieve himself when he heard a faint whimpering; so muffled that his sensitive ears strained to hone in on the source. And that was how he found Armin, incredibly young, and incredibly terrified. He was bound tightly with his forearms behind his back, mouth gagged by a handkerchief. Eren saw his frightened blue eyes and vibrant blond hair and was struck with confusion. He recalled very clearly seeing this same person inside the tavern not moments before.

As it had turned out, Armin had been attacked by a doppler; a creature that could mimic anything or anyone that they saw to perfection. The doppler had intended to use Armin’s boyish charm to pickpocket the patrons of the tavern. But with one touch of Eren’s witcher medallion, the doppler quickly changed back into its gangly natural state, screaming as its skin sizzled from the touch of silver.

Armin had been so thankful that he vowed to write a tremendous ballad for him as thanks, but Eren merely requested he join him for a pint. They talked all night, Eren learning that the young man was well travelled and knowledgeable despite his lack of age. And Armin’s eyes sparkled with delight as he intently listened to every story Eren divulged.

And so it had come to be that the Pony Boy Tavern became their casual meeting place, where they would reunite occasionally to share with each other their adventures.

Mind swimming with fond memories, Eren tied his horse to the post in front of the weathered wooden building before fetching his elixir trunk from his saddle bag and throwing its strap over his shoulder. They’d more than likely be spending the night at the tavern, and unsurprisingly they were running low on honeysuckle oil. He glanced over to see Levi approaching him, his horse already fastened.

The witcher smiled affectionately, “Thank you for coming with me.”

“Of course I would. I don’t plan on leaving your side until you force me to,” Levi said with a small smirk. It had taken a while for that trademark smirk to make its presence again on Levi’s face, and Eren’s chest grew warm every time he saw it.

Side-by-side, they entered the tavern; the warmth within settling over their skin with a slight sticky humidness from too many bodies in a small space.  Eren’s eyes scanned the denizens of the tavern before a bright crop of blond caught his attention in the far corner. A grin took over the witcher’s face as he noticed the company that Armin had.

It seemed Erwin, Hanji, Mike, Mikasa, and even Annie had all decided to join Armin on his trek to Trost. The witcher approached the table with Levi following closely behind. It was Mike who first noticed their presence. His head lifted and his nostrils flared as he scented the air. With that man’s sense of smell Eren had to wonder if he had wolf’s blood in him. A giant with wolf’s blood… no wonder he was a such a strong knight.

Hanji noticed Mike’s change in demeanor and immediately stood to see through the crowd. By the time she made eye contact with Eren and Levi and began hollering at them, the rest of the table had taken notice of their arrival as well.

Armin leapt to his feet to barrel across the tavern and into Eren’s waiting arms. “Eren! Finally, you’re here!”

The witcher smiled as he hugged his dear friend, relishing in the familiar small form in his arms. “Did you wait long for us?” he asked as he released the blond in order to follow him to their claimed table.

“Ahh... Just a couple of days. Apparently everyone else had a free schedule and decided to stay and wait for you two with me,” Armin said through his enthusiastic smile.

When they reached the table, a mug of ale was shoved into Eren’s hands and warm but heavy hands landed on his shoulders accompanied by welcoming greetings. He had expected maybe a nod or a wave from Annie, if she offered any form of greeting at all, seeing as her facial expression seemed as stony as ever.

He did not, however, expect her to rise to her feet, walk briskly towards where Levi stood to grasp his hand and fall to her knee. Levi’s face displayed the surprise he held at her actions as well. Her head was lowered, Levi’s hand grasped reverently in both of hers.

“You have my eternal thanks,” she said just loudly enough that Eren could hear her from the seat he’d taken between Armin and Hanji. He glanced towards Mikasa, who sat watching the scene unfold with a faint smile.

Levi brought his other hand forward to pat the back of Annie’s hand awkwardly before urging her to stand. He measured her with a look of understanding. “I take it the elixir worked?” he asked.

Annie nodded, her eyes still downcast but her expression lively. “It did.”

Levi returned her nod before leading her back to her seat beside Mikasa.

“Thank you, Levi,” Mikasa whispered before pressing a kiss to the man’s cheek after he had taken the seat on her other side. Levi merely clicked his tongue and ruffled her raven hair affectionately.

“It’s nothing. Just pour me some ale, would you?”

As Mikasa fixed Levi’s drink, Hanji was already firing off a thousand questions towards the witcher who was only just tuning in to her ramblings.

“A whole fortnight together! I can only imagine what you two have been up to… Hopefully more than just a little heavy petting this time, right?” she laughed loudly, clearly entertained enough with her assumptions that Eren nor Levi would truly need to tell any stories from the days passed.

Though, she wasn’t wrong; after the pup was no longer in their care they were given all the freedom needed to sate their desires in one another. Eren couldn’t recall ever having that much sex in so small a time, but he didn’t quite feeling like sharing that bit of information with the over-excited sorceress sitting beside him.

He grinned over the rim of his mug at Levi while Armin jumped in on his behalf. “Hanji you said you wouldn’t ask questions like that!” Armin exclaimed.

“Ohhhh little Dandelion, you’re just still upset from this morning…” Hanji said with a wave of her hand.

“ _You were trying to pick the lock to mine and Erwin’s room!”_ the blond said shrilly, his face blossoming into a deep blush.

“I was concerned! You sounded like you were in pain!”

“Those weren’t screams of pain…” Mike said with a smirk as he sipped at his ale.

“Mike!” Armin squealed before hiding his rosy face behind his hands.

“Alright, enough with you two. Leave Armin alone.” Erwin interjected from his seat on Armin’s other side, his firm voice instantly quieting the squabbling.

Eren watched as Armin breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the tall blond knight. Even without his armor on, the man exuded an air of authority that seemed to work as a comfort to Armin. Erwin maneuvered an arm to encircle around the small bard’s waist, holding him protectively. The sight made Eren grin; it was good to see someone who would protect him the way Eren felt he deserved to be protected.

“Ah! I do have something for you Hanji,” Eren stated before setting his mug down to rifle through the elixir trunk he had laid at his feet. The sorceress sat with bated breath as Eren pulled out his intended gift.

She gasped deeply as it was revealed, bringing up a shaking hand to hesitantly touch at the silvery material rolled up like a scroll in Eren’s hand. “Is… is this…”

Eren nodded, holding the small roll of dragon scales out to her. That morning several days ago when Eren had woke to find Levi’s back had completely shed a layer of scales had been slightly disturbing, but it had seemed a waste to trash the molted skin. He had kept it in his elixir trunk during their travels, hoping he’d have an opportunity to give it to this very sorceress. He knew that she, above all else would have a true appreciation for it. Trying to sell it in a market would either result in extreme skepticism or far too much of a stir than he wanted to deal with.

Gently, Hanji lifted the scroll from his hands. Her eyes were ridiculously wide and locked onto the delicate material she now held. “Oh… Eren. Levi… I…”

Eren smiled and glanced at Levi who was watching with feigned disinterest from behind his mug. “You’re welcome Hanji. I figured you could draw some use from it,” Eren said.

Her eyes shot up to meet his in excitement. “Oh you have no idea! The things I could use this for! The alchemical reagents and mystical properties of silver dragon scale are mostly just guesses and myths! There’s no _telling_ what kind of results I can create!”

“Alright, keep it together you fiend. That’s my _skin_ you’re raving over. It’s fucking weird.” Levi grumbled.

The table shared a collective laugh while Hanji calmed herself enough to stow away the precious gift. “So…” Hanji started. “What _did_ you two do within the fortnight since we’ve last seen you?”

“Yeah! You always manage to stumble upon some kind of adventure, don’t you Eren?” Armin nudged him from the side.

The witcher smiled; his friend knew him all too well. “I suppose so,” he said. He then recounted the story of his meeting with Sasha and Connie. How the two of them wanted to unite the dryad tribe and human village. He was mindful to leave out any mention of the baby dragon, of course. There was no need to include that bit of information.

When he finished telling the part where Levi transformed and scared the old sovereign into submission, all the eyes around him were glistening with interest. Mikasa was glancing between Eren and Levi with a fond expression while Levi contentedly sipped at his ale as though nothing were happening.

“Wow…” Armin breathed once the tale had been told. “Dryads and humans getting along? That’s unheard of!”

“Well, we don’t know if things have worked out yet. Maybe someday I’ll go back to visit and see how things are going,” Eren nodded to himself, quietly wondering if the pup would still be nearby when that day came.

“Well you certainly had more of an exciting time than _we_ did!” Hanji griped.

From her other side, Mike interjected, “What about that guard at the Flagesdale and Trost border?”

“Oh! That’s right!” Hanji delighted while Armin groaned.

Eren lifted a brow to look at Armin while the blond hid his face with his hands. Erwin chuckled and lovingly ruffled the shorter blond’s hair while pulling him into his side.

“What happened at the border?” Eren asked.

“Little Dandelion’s cuteness and Erwin’s protectiveness almost kept us from being able to cross the border,” Hanji supplied with a grin.

Increasingly curious, Eren’s gaze met Erwin’s. The knight shrugged, keeping one arm wrapped around Armin as he explained. “A guard thought it would be a grand idea to use his position of power to get closer to Armin than I was comfortable with.”

“Erwin you nearly chopped his hands off!” Hanji shouted with a laugh.

“With where his hands went during that unnecessary frisk, he should be glad he still has his head,” Erwin replied, his tone dark.

Hanji continued to cackle as Mike explained further. “Luckily, another guard had seen what happened and let us through with an apology and a promise that the guard would be reported for attempted molestation. Apparently, that guard had been caught multiple times drinking on duty, so he’s certainly lost his job after this.”

Eren nodded and looked back to Armin. “You’re okay?”

The bard nodded with a small blush. “Erwin was really great,” he whispered, “You should have _seen_ him, Eren. He moved almost as fast as you! The guard was pinned down and screaming for mercy in seconds.”

Though Armin was speaking hushedly, he was sure that the knight could hear him by the faint rosiness that rose to his chiseled cheeks. The two of them really seemed to work well together, Eren thought with a smile.

He turned his gaze towards Levi who was talking quietly with Mikasa. The young half-elf’s eyes were livelier than Eren could ever remember them being before, and he realized it was because of Levi’s presence. Suddenly Eren felt out of place. Even with his closest friend sitting beside him, all he could focus on was the visible connection between Levi and Mikasa. He didn’t know the full story between them, but he knew they were close.

What right did he have to come between them? He had always been on his own since he was young; he had always only himself to rely on. But Mikasa had grown up with Levi by her side. They were essentially family, and here Eren was assuming himself as a permanent fixture by Levi’s side.

“Uhm… I’m going to go order something to eat…” he said as he stood, trying and failing to avoid Levi’s curious stare. The witcher gently elbowed his way towards the bar in the back of the tavern with his head low. He quietly decided to himself as he reached the bar that after this night it would probably be best if he gracefully let Mikasa reclaim her position by Levi’s side.

“Oi, troll-fucker. Are you going to order or are you just going to scare away my patrons with that face of yours?” an annoyingly familiar voice pierced through his thoughts.

The witcher looked up and quelled the irritation that always rose when he was faced with the current keeper of the tavern.

“That depends, Pony Boy. Are you going to try to poison me again?” Eren snarked.

The young tavernkeep rolled his eyes as he set down the rag he’d been using to dry mugs. “You’re so dramatic. Poisons don’t even work on you, and it was only meant to upset your stomach anyway. _And_ I _told_ you to stop calling me that!”

Eren scoffed. “Even if they don’t work they still taste like shit. And I’ll stop calling you that when the name stops suiting you so well. If you hate it so much why don’t you change the name of the tavern?”

“I would but my mom keeps griping at me about it being part of our family heritage or something,” the two-toned male shrugged. “Anyway, it’s been a while witcher. You ordering or not? I’ll give you a cut price since you stayed out of my face for so long.”

Eren smirked. Despite how they often went at each other’s throats, Jean the tavernkeep and he had an underlying understanding between the two of them. Sure, the younger male annoyed him and always managed to get under his skin, but deep down he knew Jean wasn’t a bad fellow.

“An order of honey glazed mutton leg!” Armin suddenly interrupted.

“Armin!” Eren said in surprise. He really must be too much in his head to have not noticed the blond approach him.

The bard smiled sweetly and placed his payment for his order on the counter. “Are you getting anything, Eren?”

“Ah, yeah. You’ve got scallions?”

Jean nodded, “Just pulled a fresh haul before the sun went down.”

“Then I’ll take as many of those as you can fit on your largest dish.”

After giving his payment he turned to look at Armin who had been staring at him intently. “You can head back to the table if you’d like. I’ll bring your food over when it’s done.” He was trying desperately to sound as normal as possible and not like he was having a mental crisis about his relationship with Levi.

Apparently it wasn’t effective, as Armin simply raised a brow and tilted his head knowingly. Eren sighed, knowing what was coming.

“Tell me what’s going on. You seemed so happy when you first showed up, happier than I’ve seen you in a long time I might add…”

Eren bit at his lip for a moment, glancing back towards the table to see Levi turned fully towards Mikasa and engaged in conversation. Armin followed his line of sight and let out a quiet “ _ah_.” The witcher looked back to his friend and furrowed his brow.

“You’re jealous?” the bard questioned.

Eren’s eyes went wide. “What? No! It’s not that at all! I just…” he sighed again, “I just feel like I’m intruding. Seeing how they are together, I know that Mikasa must want to return to his side again. Even if there’s nothing romantic between them, they’ve been with each other for so long…”

“You don’t want to push her aside and take her place?”

Eren nodded solemnly.

“You really are an idiot…”

“Hey!”

Armin shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I think Jean is right; you _are_ dramatic.”

“ _Armin,_ ” Eren grumbled warningly.

The bard laughed lightly and waved his hand dismissively. “Eren, did Levi _say_ that he wanted to drop you to return Mikasa to his side? Did he even _hint_ towards it?”

Eren thought quietly over Levi’s recent behavior. The words then flitted through his mind, the words Levi had said right before they’d entered the tavern.

_I don’t plan on leaving your side until you force me to_

A smile wormed its way onto his face and he looked down at his feet in embarrassment. “Okay… Maybe I am being a little dramatic.”

Armin chuckled, “Damn right you are. And besides, it’s not like Levi has only room enough in his life for one of you. I sort of understand how you feel, though. After we parted ways with Mikasa and Annie, it was just me and Erwin and his friends. I felt _so_ out of place but Erwin helped me to feel secure. He made me feel welcome and like I had a place in his life.” Armin was turning that ruddy shade again as he spoke and it made Eren smile all the more.

“Look,” Armin continued, “I know you. I know that long term relationships aren’t for you. But I think Levi works really well with your lifestyle. Don’t try and run from it… being scared is understandable, but don’t run…”

Eren said nothing, letting the words settle in his mind. Is that what he had been doing subconsciously? Running?

He turned to look towards the table once more, just in time to see Mikasa approaching them. Eren straightened his posture and gave her a nod.

She nodded back as she reached the bar. “Levi wanted me to come order some food for everyone,” she said as she reached up to tuck a lock of raven hair behind her ear.

The sound of glass shattering made them all startle and turn towards the source of the noise. Jean stood behind the bar, several feet away with a broken glass at his feet. His eyes were wide and mouth open slightly as he stared at the half-elf.

“What the hell, Pony Boy?” Eren shouted at him, angry at having been startled.

Jean’s cheeks went bright red and he sputtered, “D-Damnit witcher! I told you to not call me that!” He stepped over the broken glass to stand in front of them from the other side of the bar, eyes never leaving Mikasa’s face. “My name is Jean…”

Mikasa stared at him for a moment, her expression blank. “I’d like to order bread and meats for my table, Jean.”

The tavernkeep swallowed and nodded his head enthusiastically. “Right away!” he exclaimed before turning to head towards the kitchen. For a brief moment, Eren felt bad for the man.

“Yikes…” Armin muttered.

Mikasa looked to him with a raised brow. “What?”

Eren couldn’t help but chuckle. Armin grinned, “You could tell, couldn’t you? Looks like Jean fell in love at first sight.”

The half-elf just looked more confused. “With me?” she asked, looking to Eren for confirmation.

When Eren nodded, Mikasa frowned. “I’m not interested. I have Annie,” she declared resolutely even as her cheeks went pink.

“You two got pretty close during your travels, hm?” Eren inclined.

“We did. As did you and Levi?” she said, smiling at him with secretive confidence.

Eren returned the smile and nodded. “Yeah, we did.” Mikasa’s smile grew wider and in that moment it all fell into perfect harmony in Eren’s mind. He wasn’t intruding. He wasn’t stealing Levi away from Mikasa. They would always be close, but that didn’t mean they had no space in their heart for someone else.

“So, how did you and Annie know to come here anyway? Didn’t you two head in a different direction from the rest?” Eren asked.

Mikasa nodded. “Armin told us before we parted ways that you would be meeting him at the Pony Boy tavern in Trost. I thought it would be a good opportunity to see Levi once more. Annie and I only arrived a few hours before you two did, so the timing worked out well.”

“You don’t intend to stay with him?”

“No. I’ll be staying with Annie. She has a few places she wants to visit before returning to her home and I’ve decided to accompany her. I love Levi as I love my own father…” she trailed off wistfully, “…but I think he understands. I’ve given him directions for a courier so we might keep in contact.”

Eren nodded and went silent for a moment before asking, “Seath grá di?”

Mikasa’s eyes went wide at the question.

_Do you love her?_

Her face heated and her fingers restlessly toyed with the hem of her sleeves. She turned her head away and quietly retorted with, “Seath grá dó?”

For some reason he wasn’t expecting it and found his face growing nearly as hot as Mikasa’s surely was. He looked down and thought the question over in his mind: _Do I love him?_

He thought over the weeks passed with Levi. Levi’s allusive and teasing behavior when they first met, his gentleness and domesticity when he handled the baby dragon, the raw emotion in his eyes when they had to give away the whelp, the way they held each other so closely each night since then, the overwhelming expression of warm gratitude he unknowingly wore each morning when he would fix his tired silver eyes on Eren…

The witcher lifted his gaze and stared at Mikasa decisively. He knew his answer.

“Se... Se grá dó, ” he said, smiling widely and confidently.

Mikasa’s own lips quirked upwards and she tilted her head as she replied. “Se grá di…”

“Well then!” Armin interrupted for the second time that evening. “If you two are done with your secret conversation it looks like our food is on its way.”

The young bard stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched a still-flustered Jean and another server place down their orders down on the bar before them. Eren slung his arm over the blond and chuckled. “Hey, don’t be mad that you can’t understand elder speech. There are not many humans these days that do.”

Armin huffed and grabbed his own plate of mutton with a gracious nod to Jean, who was preoccupied in staring at Mikasa. “I’ve told you countless times that I want to learn it! I would love to be able to write songs in it, it’s such a melodic language!”

“Ah, but then you’d only be a fish tail away from being a siren. And I think you’re talented enough as it is at wooing…”

Armin elbowed him playfully and grinned. “You just don’t want to admit you’d be a terrible teacher.”

Eren grinned and gathered up his own plate of food alongside Mikasa. “You know me so well…”

“I can teach you some basics…” Mikasa suggested, eyeing the blond with interest. Not many humans cared to learn aspects of a time they’d considered to be past, and she seemed to want to entertain the bard’s intrigue. Eren smiled quietly as Armin exclaimed jovially at the idea while they made their way back to the table.

Over the next hour, Eren found himself engaged in conversation with Erwin and Mike. Seeing as the two taller gentlemen were warriors in their own right, they traded tales of battles fought and won. The two knights expressed how they missed belonging under a unified sigil, and that Armin had mentioned that Queen Reiss was a fair ruler who may accept them into her ranks. It was part of the reason they had followed the bard into the Reiss kingdom. Eren had to agree with the suggestion, he knew the Queen extremely well; he had been a major supporter in her name reclaiming the throne from the corrupt Fritz.

As they chatted, Eren kept his eye on Levi, who had been monopolized by Hanji. The sorceress was sitting almost uncomfortably close to the man, smiling wildly as she hounded him with questions. Eren could guess the theme of her line of questioning and wanted to intervene, but Levi didn’t seem all that bothered. He simply sat, nodding or rolling his eyes occasionally while nursing his ale and picking at the food set before him.

 Armin had seated himself between Mikasa and Annie while Mikasa attempted to teach the both of them the fundamentals of elder speech; various words and simple sentence structure. While Armin stared studiously at the paper with her scrawl and nodded in understanding now and then, Annie instead had all her attentions fixed on Mikasa. She leaned her elbow against the table top, her chin resting in her hand as she stared quietly at Mikasa’s mouth.

Time ticked by unknowingly while the party ate, drank, and entertained themselves with one another. At one point Armin even performed a few of his new ballads that he’d written about his recent adventures. He announced his next ballad, the newly revised version of his tribute to a great and silver dragon. Eren saddled up next to Levi and wrapped an arm around his waist while smiling proudly. The shorter man was trying to feign disinterest but the witcher surely caught the smile he was attempting to hide as the bard began to sing and strum at his lute.

_From Sun's shining hours, to Moon's gleaming birth_

_The hills are a-weeping, o'er wings woven in earth_

_My heart beckons unto thee, pray tell where did you go_

_I sing out to your majesty, pray my words don't fall low_

_Elaine evellien, bathed in star's silken light_

_Elaine evellien, slipped away in the night_

_Who shunned your opulence from the storms you should lord?_

_They who sit now, all around me, as I strum out this chord._

_O King of the legends, of sterling flesh in the skies_

_Your luster never glimpsed again, damn-ed be my own eyes_

_Elaine evellien, do you still hide away from our sight?_

_Elaine evellien, does your fire still burn so hot and so bright?_

The chords much like the lyrics of the ballad were laced with a sort of melancholic beauty that made Eren’s chest draw tight. The ballad spoke of the magnificent, ethereal beauty of the dragon, but also brought to light the tragic life he was faced to live; grounded to the earth by the hatred of humankind, living in hiding. Eren hadn’t known how well Armin had picked up on that nuance of Levi’s life but the song had captured it magnificently with a sort of raw allure that rendered the tavern silent as he played.

When the song had finished the entire tavern erupted into applause, having all stopped to listen to the bard’s melody. The blond smiled bashfully at the welcomed response, but managed to send a wary look towards Levi, who only nodded in recognition before returning his attention to the ale and food set before him, seemingly bent on distracting himself.

 

  
Eventually the night wound down, and even Hanji seemed worse for wear. After exchanging goodnight wishes, everyone split in the different directions towards their rooms upstairs. Thankfully Jean had seemed generous that night and had reserved a room for Eren and Levi that was more lavish than most.

The fact that it had its own tub was a luxury in itself, so they weren’t all that bothered by its small size. They took their separate baths, thankful for the opportunity before sprawling out naked on the bed together.

Eren had set up his distiller before they settled down and the ever-familiar scent of honeysuckle hung lightly in the air. The witcher lay on his side, head resting on Levi’s stomach as Levi’s hands trailed mindlessly in his damp hair. It was quiet, innocent touching. But with Eren’s head facing in the direction of Levi’s crotch, that couldn’t hold for long.

The witcher lifted a hand to lay at Levi’s lower abdomen, fingers circling through the thin line of hair under the man’s navel. When he moved his hand further down, he could feel Levi’s hands pause in his hair momentarily before continuing. Eren smiled, the man surely knew where this was leading, but over the past week he’d been extremely entertained with merely playing with his lover’s body and felt in no rush.

His hand trailed to the soft cock lying between Levi’s legs and lifted it to hold it upright. He simply held it there for a while, eyeing it as if trying to memorize it before he very lightly began to stroke down the soft skin. The hand in his hair had stopped moving so rhythmically, and Eren watched in fascination as the soft flesh between his fingers began to grow and harden.

Now being fully erect, Eren had an easier time of pulling the skin down before dragging it back up over the head. He went at it slowly, watching how the extra skin seemed so snug against the other man’s cock as it enveloped the shiny head, smearing any small drop of wetness that had come to collect at the tip.

“Eren…” Levi growled warningly, his hand going tight in Eren’s hair.

The witcher grinned even though Levi couldn’t see his face, and continued to slowly slide his hand up and down the other’s length. Eren leaned forward then, just enough so that he could stick out his tongue to trail around the tip of the hard cock in his hand, slipping under the foreskin that he had pulled forward.

“ _Shit…_ ” Levi hissed. “What is it with you lately…”

Eren knew what he meant by that. Over the past week the witcher had found himself increasingly curious about his lover’s body, primarily his foreskin. Eren himself didn’t have that extra skin, assuming his father had it removed when he was a baby for some medical purposes. Given their extra privacy over the past week, Eren had fully taken advantage of it in order to learn every little bit that he could about Levi’s body.

He began to notice the small shiver whenever he would focus his attention on sliding his foreskin up and down…  The dark gleam of heat in Levi’s eyes when Eren would suck at it, or slip his tongue under it. In all it seemed the man was all the more sensitive, which Eren took great delight in.

And now, the two of them nude and freshly washed; warm and flushed skin against skin, Eren found himself divulging into the pleasures of the other’s body once more. He took in the clean but heady scent of the other man as he worked him over leisurely.

He moved his head farther down so he could easier lap and suck at the reddening flesh. He was still relatively new at using his mouth in such a manner, and he knew he could only hope to someday be as talented as Levi. But he relished in the opportunity to have the other man at his mercy.

His mouth hung open, a trail of saliva slipping from the tip of his tongue to roll down the other’s cock and to his twitching balls below. Eren watched as it tapered off even further behind the sack. Gently, he guided Levi’s legs apart, intent on devouring everything before him, but the other man didn’t seem to have the same patience.

“Get your ass over here,” Levi grunted.

The man roughly grabbed Eren’s hips before he could move, and maneuvered him so he was on his knees over Levi’s torso, each other’s groins in ample position to the other’s mouth. Eren had opened his mouth in an attempt to complain at having been interrupted, but the hot and cripplingly soft tongue trailing over the underside of his balls forced an abortive groan out of his throat instead.

His hands scrabbled for a grip at Levi’s thighs as the tongue at his rear worked with enthusiasm. Levi had only tasted that particular area on him once before and it was still just as unbelievable as the first time. The man’s long tongue hadn’t even entered him yet, but the velvety sensation around Eren’s hole had him shivering in anticipation.

“You—ah—too good… _damnit!”_ Eren griped, determined to not be outdone. Breathing heavily through the sensations being delivered below, the witcher refocused his attention to the still very prominent erection in front of him.

He swallowed the other man down as far as he could, trying not to smother Levi with the desperate thrusts his own hips were trying to make. As he swirled his tongue languidly over the other’s cock, he could feel Levi moaning against his entrance, only serving to drive him heavier into the lust consuming him.

Despite his best efforts, Eren’s movements became sloppy the moment Levi’s tongue finally breached his hole. The cock in Eren’s mouth slipped out around a groan as he was entered, the hand wrapping around his throbbing cock doing nothing to keep him grounded.

His back was bowed into the pleasure, his chest pressing into the lower abdomen below him while he moaned openly, Levi’s cock now lying wetly against his cheek. The tongue inside him could reach just barely deep enough to play with his most sensitive spot and his eyes fluttered shut at the assault. Succumbing to the overwhelming senses of touch and scent, Eren gripped the slicked cock before him and ran his open lips over it as he cried out his pleasure, somewhere in the back of his mind still trying to bring pleasure to his lover even in the midst of the body tingling heat flooding him.

“So good, Levi… _Levi…”_

It built and built, and before Eren realized it he was pressing his hips back towards Levi’s face in search of just that little push over the edge he needed. Suddenly Levi shoved him forward slightly and scooted down just enough to be able to suck Eren’s dripping cock down to the root while he used two fingers to fill Eren’s ass. The abrupt change in sensation had Eren reeling, his vision blurring white as his body spasmed his release, nearly choking on his own cries as he thrust into Levi’s welcoming wet mouth.

While still in the haze of lingering sensation, Eren found himself being flipped over onto his back and Levi crouching between his spread thighs. The witcher glanced down, curious as to what was happening and his eyes went wide at the lewd display he witnessed. Levi’s lips parted, releasing Eren’s cum to drip down over his entrance, where Levi’s achingly hard cock was rutting against.

“Gods… oh Gods…” Eren murmured as he watched Levi then use his hand to thoroughly coat his cock, still thrusting it between Eren’s cheeks as he did so.

“This okay?” Levi managed to ask between clenched teeth. Eren noticed the light spackling of texture on Levi’s brow and cheeks, trailing to the sides of his neck and likely down his back. Over the past week he’d gotten better at controlling himself, but it seemed he was nearing his breaking point.

Eren swallowed heavily and nodded, relaxing his legs around Levi’s hips as the other man entered him, the two of them slicked well enough with Eren’s essence to ease the intrusion. It wasn’t the best of lubricants, but the slight burn wasn’t exactly unwelcomed. It was that burn that reminded him of that erotic image from moments ago.

Levi swept him into a kiss as he seated himself fully, moaning deeply against his mouth. On his tongue, Eren could taste himself and unconsciously tightened around Levi who pulled back from their kiss with a hiss and ground his hips harder into the witcher.

Levi forced his eyes opened and locked his gaze onto Eren’s as he began to slowly rock his hips. Their eyes communicating a thousand unspoken words as they drowned themselves in the heat of their joined passion.

They worked into a fluid momentum of conjoined movements. Both working towards that height with equal ferocity as their bodies moved and slid in unison. Hot panting pleas for more and growls joined with the slick noises filling the air, the hot scent of their sex diluting into the flowery honeysuckle.

Levi climaxed first, his body shuddering as he clutched tightly to the body below him, spending himself inside Eren while sinful praises dripped from his lips.

“You’re fucking _perfect,”_ Levi sighed as his cock pulsed deep inside the witcher. Ever the selfless lover, Levi continued to thrust, working a fist over Eren’s cock until he spilled once more, this time over his own stomach.

They lay there, gasping in hot breaths of each other while their bodies twitched in the sudden relaxation that followed orgasm. Levi had come to rest entirely on top of Eren, mindless of the mess between them. They’d need to bathe again before sleeping, but Eren was finding it difficult to care about anything beyond the hot weight resting on his chest.

He wrapped his arms around his lover and nudged his head upwards to meet him in a kiss. It was just a simple press of the lips, but Eren refused to let it end so quickly. They were still catching their breaths, and he could feel the harsh little exhales Levi was making through his nose. Everything in that moment, from the scent of their love-making in the air, the feel of Levi’s warmth against him, the taste of Levi on his lips, the quiet moan rumbling in Levi’s throat… it was all perfection. When they finally parted and Eren saw the dazed but sated expression on Levi’s face, the words he’d said earlier that night bubbled up and out of his mouth without a second thought.

“Se grá seath.”

The calm in Levi’s eyes was immediately swallowed by his shock as he leaned even further back to stare down at the witcher. The man said nothing and Eren quickly tried to fill the silence.

“Ah… I’m sorry if that was sudden… but it’s true. I… love you, Levi. And you don’t need to say it back, it’s fine if you aren’t ready or if you never will be but I realized it tonight and I just had to—“

“Se grá ro-seath.”

It was Eren’s turn to stare in silent shock. Levi still looked slightly unsure of himself, almost like he was afraid…

“Wh-what?” Eren whispered, feeling like his words evaporated from his lips into the heavy air around them.

Levi swallowed before leaning down to press his lips to Eren’s once more, his thumbs gently stroking at his cheeks as he cupped his face in his hands. When they parted, Levi stared at him, more confidence in his eyes than he’d had a moment ago.

“I love you too, Eren.”

And it was so much more than what he’d expected. In fact, he hadn’t expected it at all. Just to have expressed his own sentiment had been freeing enough, but to have it reciprocated… Eren couldn’t contain the overwhelming emotions racing through him and pulled Levi even tighter into him, squeezing the breath out of the other man with a “ _Hmph!”_

 _“Se grá seath!”_ Eren shouted as he rolled them over, never slackening his tight hold as he broke into an airy laughter.

“Oi! You’re going to squeeze the life from me!” Levi choked out as he tried to pull away, but Eren noticed the grin the other man was trying to hide and only continued to laugh as he held him.

Levi huffed a small laugh himself and rolled his eyes, giving up on escaping and relaxing into the other man’s hold. “You are such a dolt.”

Eren’s laughter fizzled to a content hum and he buried his nose into Levi’s hair. “But you love me…”

A sigh, “Yes… I do. Now can we go bathe again? We’re filthy.”

“Mhm… You know, I bet if we tried we could both fit in that tub…”

 

In the end they couldn’t quite both fit in the tub at the same time, but they bathed and retired to bed soon after regardless. Come morning, Eren woke first as usual and lay there for minutes merely staring at his lover sleeping beside him.

A knock at the door roused the witcher from the warmth of the bed. Levi didn’t seem bothered by the sound and continued sleeping peacefully. At the door, Eren was greeted by Armin’s cheerfully bright face.

“Morning!” Armin shouted, his eyes glanced towards the bed and spotted Levi still sleeping and he immediately slapped a hand over his mouth with wide and apologetic eyes.

Eren smiled and shook his head, “Don’t worry, he won’t wake up until he wants to.”

The two of them headed downstairs after Eren dressed himself properly and sat at the bar waiting for breakfast to be served. The sun had only just recently poked above the horizon and the tavern was bare besides them.

Outside the morning birds had begun their caroling, and the witcher sat in companionable silence with his friend as the sweet smell of breakfast baking filled the small tavern. It was a homely feeling that the witcher felt in few other places.

“I told Levi that I loved him last night,” the witcher said quietly as to not disturb the peacefulness.

Armin seemingly had frozen in place, his eyes wide and disbelieving. “No… _you?”_

Eren chuckled and nodded his head.

“Oh Gods I thought the day would never _come!_ ” Armin exclaimed. “Truly I thought you were bent on stomping through this world alone forever… Ah! I’m so glad, Eren!” The blond shot from his stool to hug the Eren tightly.

“I know, it’s strange,” Eren mused as he patted Armin’s shoulder, urging him to return to his seat. “I never thought I would want… _this_ ,” he said, gesturing vaguely with his hands.

Armin seemed to understand as he nodded. “You’ve never been open to the idea of something serious and lasting before… to the point you would _run_ from it. Seems you’ve found someone who can keep up with you though,” he said with a wide grin.

“Yeah,” Eren laughed wistfully, “He’s pretty incredible… Speaking of, that ballad you wrote of him… I’ve told you this before but honestly Armin how do you _do_ it?”

Armin giggled and smacked Eren on the arm playfully. “And I tell you each time, I merely work with the beauty the world reveals to me.”

Eren hummed, “That’s right, those words you used in that ballad; elaine evellien?”

“Mikasa helped me with those last night, I’d just added them before performing it.”

“I see,” Eren hummed. “What about… the rest? I mean how did you know?”

“About how he’s forced to live in hiding? Well, it was a bit obvious in that Levi had kept it a secret… I don’t think that if Erwin and them, and particularly _you_ hadn’t interfered on that raid he would have revealed his identity like that. I think he would have scared away Nile and his men and that would have been the end of it. But he let us see him, and I think that it mostly had to do with you… He trusted you enough.”

Eren shook his head in amazement. “How did you even see all of that?”

Armin laughed and shrugged, “There’s so many small hints of the grand stories hidden behind everything, Eren… You just have to search deep enough in what you see.”

“I guess that’s why you’re the bard and I’m the rutheless witcher, right?” Eren smiled and nudged his friend.

Armin chuckled quietly and shook his head, his smile turning sad after a moment. “It’s a bit tragic, though… isn’t it?”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean about his hiding… After I saw his true form I couldn’t get that image out of my head. To think something so grandiose and magnificent is forced to stay in hiding… It must be hard for him.”

They grew quiet as Jean swooped by to leave a plate of pastries in front of them before returning to work in the kitchen. They looked delicious, but suddenly Eren wasn’t all that hungry.

Armin sighed, “Sorry for ruining the pleasant mood…”

“No, it’s okay. It’s something that’s been bothering me for a while too, actually. I wish there was something I could do, some way I could give him even just a small taste of the freedom he’s missing…”

“Well…”

Eren lifted a brow and turned to face the bard. “What?”

“I was just thinking… maybe you could work something out with Queen Reiss? There’s never been a ruler as compassionate as her. I’m sure if you explained the situation she could help?”

“She may be compassionate but she can’t change the wills and minds of her people… I think even if she _could_ do that she wouldn’t. Reiss has always been about freedom. But… maybe…” Eren fell silent, sorting through his thoughts.

Armin waited patiently, plucking one of the still steaming pastries off the plate to begin nibbling at. Before Eren had a chance to voice his new idea, the creaking of the stairs broke through the stillness as Erwin, Mike, and Hanji made their way down into the tavern.

“Good morning!” Hanji bellowed as she hopped onto a barstool and grabbed a pastry. Mike helped himself to one as well while Erwin braced himself behind Armin and leaned over to take a bite of his.

The bard shook his head and smiled, “You’d better go get Levi before there’s none left.”

 

Upstairs, Levi was still in bed but he seemed to be wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Eren approached and flopped heavily onto the bed beside him, throwing an arm over the smaller man and pulling him close.

“Morn’,” Eren said warmly before kissing Levi’s brow and smiling into his hair.

Silver eyes blinked sleepily at him as he leaned back. “You’re in a good mood…”

“I know where I want to take you next.”

Levi raised a brow, “Oh?”

The witcher nodded, trailing his fingertip over Levi’s lashes as he stared lovingly at him, the other man’s eye barely closing at the touch so near. If he could, Eren would remain in this moment forever. But there were places to go, people to meet; the entire world he wanted to see with this man by his side.

“Where?” Levi asked when Eren remained silent.

Eren took a deep breath, gazing deeply into those molten irises.

“We’re going to see the queen.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Collection of my doodles for this fic♥](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/tagged/witcher%20au%20doodles)


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